Shunga is a Japanese term for erotic art...This shunga is a type of ukiyo-e, produced in woodblock print format in the 17th century...
The ukiyo-e movement as a whole sought to express an idealization of contemporary urban life and appeal to the new chōnin class... Following the aesthetics of everyday life, Edo period shunga varied widely in its depictions of sexuality...As a subset of ukiyo-e it was enjoyed by all social groups in the Edo period, despite being out of favor with the shogunate...Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers, and it did not detract from their prestige as artists...
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, New YorkChinese Traditional Erhu Music by Lei Qiang

A picture from erotic book "Iro no hodoyoshi" by Utagawa Kunisada (1786 - 1865).
A young man is holding down a virgin girl on Tatami, and raping her. She can't stand the pain, and cries.
What a pity girl she is!
It must be a humiliating experience for her to loose her virginity while being looked at by others. Don't you think so?
She cries and says,
"You, please do it softly. Really it hurts! Is killing me. Ow! Ow! "
Voice: English
Subtitling: English
Shunga is Japanese erotic art drawn by ukiyo-e artists, mainly produced in Edo era (1603 - 1868).
We hold shunga event in Tokyo every week.
Please come to see us when you're in Tokyo.
Visit our website for more information.
http://x.tsuyagoe.com/

published:26 Apr 2018

views:697

published:22 Apr 2016

views:18445

The Thing About...Nobuyoshi ArakiMusic:
“Dark Fog” and “Dub Feral” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution3.0Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
With over 450 publications to his name, Araki’s work is eclectic. So why do we focus on the erotic? Is that a reflection of our own perversions? And perhaps even more importantly, in a society so desensitized by images and expressions of a sexual nature, do we still find these images offensive and controversial today?
While his work is subject to much controversy and many allegations of misogyny and perversion in the West , Japan’s own relationship with erotic imagery is complex.
In theEdo period (spanning from 1603 to 1868), Japanese erotic art, known as Shunga, was at its peak. During this time however, there would be multiple attempts at outlawing such artwork, only for it to survive through underground (read: privileged) networks and loose enforcement. But even in modern Japan, now far removed from its Imperial history, such explicit photography is illegal, so Araki has often been in trouble there, as well.
But to Araki, he is committing no crime, moral or legal. By his own admittance, he does indeed love women and sex, but with other titles such as HappyPhotographs (2006) and Faces of Japan (2009-), Araki is simply documenting what is in front of him, such as family portraits and the everyday Japanese, and compiling a sort of visual diary.
There is an age-old debate over whether nudity and eroticism in general are artistic or pornographic, but the question must be asked: in a society so immersed in images of both, does it really matter anymore? Perhaps most unsettling to today’s Western and Japanese viewers alike is not Araki’s imagery, but the unabashed and apathetic way in which he goes about it. Sex is a part of life after all, and to Araki, that’s all that he’s photographing.
“Kinbaku (knots with ropes) are different from bondage. I only tie up a woman's body because I know I cannot tie up her heart. Only her physical parts can be tied up. Tying up a woman becomes an embrace.” – Araki
“Art is all about doing what you shouldn’t.” – Nobuyoshi “Arachy”
“A photograph takes place only at a certain instant. And this instant is unidentifiable. The instant is the eternal and the eternal is the instant. When the camera shutter is released, that's the eternal.
Eternity is achieved by releasing the camera shutter and letting it descend.” – Araki
“In my photographs I often appear in scenes containing bondage or sexual activity. I play the role of a midget in a Shunga painting. A secondary role as a spectator. After all, I prefer photographs to sex. “ – Araki
"I'd like to take photos similar to shunga," he once said, "but I haven't reached that level yet. There is bashfulness in shunga. The genitals are visible, but the rest is hidden by the kimono. In other words, they don't show everything. They are hiding a secret." Araki
Is it art or is it porn? To Araki it makes little difference. In the end, his subject is the everyday – or his everyday – the poignant and the touching, the messy and the disturbing.

Definition

Defining erotic art is difficult since perceptions of both what is erotic and what is art fluctuate. A sculpture of a phallus in some African cultures may be considered a traditional symbol of potency though not overtly erotic.

In addition, a distinction is often made between erotic art and pornography (which also depicts scenes of love-making and is intended to evoke erotic arousal, but is not usually considered art). The distinction may lie in intent and message; erotic art would be items intended as pieces of art, encapturing formal elements of art, and drawing on other historical artworks. Pornography may also use these tools, but is primarily intended to arouse one sexually. Nevertheless, these elements of distinction are highly subjective.

For instance, Justice Potter Stewart of the Supreme Court of the United States, in attempting to explain "hard-core" pornography, or what is obscene, famously wrote, "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced ... [b]ut I know it when I see it ..."

Population

In 2008 the municipality of Artà had a population of 7,113 recorded residents within an area of 139.63 square kilometres (53.91sqmi). This equates to 50.9inhabitants perkm2. In 2006 the percentage of foreigners was 13.2% (890), of which Germans made up 3.9% (262). In 1991 there were still 136illiterates in the municipality. 1,292inhabitants had no education, 1,675only a primary school certificate and 1,210had secondary school leaving certificates. The official languages are Catalan and Spanish (Castilian). The Catalan dialect spoken on the island is known as Mallorquí.

Geography

Location

Artà lies in the northeast of the island of Majorca, around 60km from the island's capital of Palma. The Massís d’Artà, the highest and most compact massif in the eastern mountain chain of the Serres de Llevant, occupies more than half the area of the municipality. The municipality is located on the western part of peninsula of Artà and is bordered in the west by the Bay of Alcúdia (Badia d’Alcúdia), and in the north by the Mediterranean sea where its coast lies opposite the neighbouring island of Minorca. The coast of Artà stretches for 25kilometres and, so far, has escaped being developed. Particularly noteworthy are the beach and sand dune formations of sa Canova d’Artà, the flat coastal strip near the settlement of Colònia de Sant Pere, the high rocky coves of the Cap de Ferrutx and a large number of smaller bays that extend from s’Arenalet des Verger to Cala Torta.

ART image file format

Technical details

The ART format (file extension ".art") holds a single still image that has been highly compressed. The format was designed to facilitate the quick downloading of images, among other things. Originally, the compression was developed by the Johnson-Grace Company, which was then acquired by AOL. When an image is converted to the ART format, the image is analyzed and the software decides what compression technique would be best. The ART format has similarities to the progressive JPEG format, and certain attributes of the ART format can lead to image quality being sacrificed for the sake of image compression (for instance, the image's color palette can be limited.)

Usage by AOL

The AOL service used the ART image format for most of the image presentation of the online service. In addition, the AOL client's web browser also automatically served such images in the ART format to achieve faster downloads on the slower dialup connections that were prevalent in those days. This conversion was done in the AOL proxy servers and could be optionally disabled by the user. This image conversion process effectively reduced the download time for image files. This technology was once branded as Turboweb and is now known as AOL TopSpeed.

Japanese people

The Japanese people(日本人,Nihonjin) are an ethnic group native to Japan. Japanese make up 98.5% of the total population of their country.
Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries are referred to as nikkeijin(日系人). The term ethnic Japanese may also be used in some contexts to refer to a locus of ethnic groups including the Yamato, Ainu, and Ryukyuan people.

Religion

Japanese religion has traditionally been syncretic in nature, combining elements of Buddhism and Shinto. Shinto, a polytheistic religion with no book of religious canon, is Japan's native religion. Shinto was one of the traditional grounds for the right to the throne of the Japanese imperial family, and was codified as the state religion in 1868 (State Shinto was abolished by the American occupation in 1945). Mahayana Buddhism came to Japan in the sixth century and evolved into many different sects. Today the largest form of Buddhism among Japanese people is the Jōdo Shinshū sect founded by Shinran.

Little is known of the language's prehistory, or when it first appeared in Japan. Chinese documents from the 3rd century recorded a few Japanese words, but substantial texts did not appear until the 8th century. During the Heian period (794–1185), Chinese had considerable influence on the vocabulary and phonology of Old Japanese. Late Middle Japanese (1185–1600) saw changes in features that brought it closer to the modern language, as well as the first appearance of European loanwords. The standard dialect moved from the Kansai region to the Edo (modern Tokyo) region in the Early Modern Japanese period (early 17th century–mid-19th century). Following the end in 1853 of Japan's self-imposed isolation, the flow of loanwords from European languages increased significantly. English loanwords in particular have become frequent, and Japanese words from English roots have proliferated.

Edo period

The Edo period(江戸時代,Edo jidai) or Tokugawa period(徳川時代,Tokugawa jidai) is the period between 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when Japanese society was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional daimyo. The period was characterized by economic growth, strict social order, isolationist foreign policies, a stable population, popular enjoyment of arts and culture, recycling of materials, and sustainable forest management. It was a sustainable and self-sufficient society which was based on the principles of complete utilization of finite resources. The shogunate was officially established in Edo on March 24, 1603, by Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period came to an end with the Meiji Restoration on May 3, 1868, after the fall of Edo.

Consolidation of the shogunate

A revolution took place in the centuries from the time of the Kamakura shogunate, which existed with the Tenno's court, to the Tokugawa, when the bushi became the unchallenged rulers in what historian Edwin O. Reischauer called a "centralized feudal" form of government. Instrumental in the rise of the new bakufu was Tokugawa Ieyasu, the main beneficiary of the achievements of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Already powerful, Ieyasu profited by his transfer to the rich Kantō area. He maintained two million koku of land, a new headquarters at Edo, a strategically situated castle town (the future Tokyo), and also had an additional two million koku of land and thirty-eight vassals under his control. After Hideyoshi's death, Ieyasu moved quickly to seize control from the Toyotomi family.

Japanese Erotic Art

春画 SHUNGA, JAPANESE ART of EROTICA

2:56

Shunga*Japanese Erotic Art*Cresent Moon Before Dawn*Lei Qiang

Shunga*Japanese Erotic Art*Cresent Moon Before Dawn*Lei Qiang

Shunga*Japanese Erotic Art*Cresent Moon Before Dawn*Lei Qiang

Shunga is a Japanese term for erotic art...This shunga is a type of ukiyo-e, produced in woodblock print format in the 17th century...
The ukiyo-e movement as a whole sought to express an idealization of contemporary urban life and appeal to the new chōnin class... Following the aesthetics of everyday life, Edo period shunga varied widely in its depictions of sexuality...As a subset of ukiyo-e it was enjoyed by all social groups in the Edo period, despite being out of favor with the shogunate...Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers, and it did not detract from their prestige as artists...
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, New YorkChinese Traditional Erhu Music by Lei Qiang

"Loosing her Virginity" Shunga - Japanese erotic art - in English

A picture from erotic book "Iro no hodoyoshi" by Utagawa Kunisada (1786 - 1865).
A young man is holding down a virgin girl on Tatami, and raping her. She can't stand the pain, and cries.
What a pity girl she is!
It must be a humiliating experience for her to loose her virginity while being looked at by others. Don't you think so?
She cries and says,
"You, please do it softly. Really it hurts! Is killing me. Ow! Ow! "
Voice: English
Subtitling: English
Shunga is Japanese erotic art drawn by ukiyo-e artists, mainly produced in Edo era (1603 - 1868).
We hold shunga event in Tokyo every week.
Please come to see us when you're in Tokyo.
Visit our website for more information.
http://x.tsuyagoe.com/

Shunga/Kinbuke - The Thing About...Araki Nobuyoshi

The Thing About...Nobuyoshi ArakiMusic:
“Dark Fog” and “Dub Feral” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution3.0Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
With over 450 publications to his name, Araki’s work is eclectic. So why do we focus on the erotic? Is that a reflection of our own perversions? And perhaps even more importantly, in a society so desensitized by images and expressions of a sexual nature, do we still find these images offensive and controversial today?
While his work is subject to much controversy and many allegations of misogyny and perversion in the West , Japan’s own relationship with erotic imagery is complex.
In theEdo period (spanning from 1603 to 1868), Japanese erotic art, known as Shunga, was at its peak. During this time however, there would be multiple attempts at outlawing such artwork, only for it to survive through underground (read: privileged) networks and loose enforcement. But even in modern Japan, now far removed from its Imperial history, such explicit photography is illegal, so Araki has often been in trouble there, as well.
But to Araki, he is committing no crime, moral or legal. By his own admittance, he does indeed love women and sex, but with other titles such as HappyPhotographs (2006) and Faces of Japan (2009-), Araki is simply documenting what is in front of him, such as family portraits and the everyday Japanese, and compiling a sort of visual diary.
There is an age-old debate over whether nudity and eroticism in general are artistic or pornographic, but the question must be asked: in a society so immersed in images of both, does it really matter anymore? Perhaps most unsettling to today’s Western and Japanese viewers alike is not Araki’s imagery, but the unabashed and apathetic way in which he goes about it. Sex is a part of life after all, and to Araki, that’s all that he’s photographing.
“Kinbaku (knots with ropes) are different from bondage. I only tie up a woman's body because I know I cannot tie up her heart. Only her physical parts can be tied up. Tying up a woman becomes an embrace.” – Araki
“Art is all about doing what you shouldn’t.” – Nobuyoshi “Arachy”
“A photograph takes place only at a certain instant. And this instant is unidentifiable. The instant is the eternal and the eternal is the instant. When the camera shutter is released, that's the eternal.
Eternity is achieved by releasing the camera shutter and letting it descend.” – Araki
“In my photographs I often appear in scenes containing bondage or sexual activity. I play the role of a midget in a Shunga painting. A secondary role as a spectator. After all, I prefer photographs to sex. “ – Araki
"I'd like to take photos similar to shunga," he once said, "but I haven't reached that level yet. There is bashfulness in shunga. The genitals are visible, but the rest is hidden by the kimono. In other words, they don't show everything. They are hiding a secret." Araki
Is it art or is it porn? To Araki it makes little difference. In the end, his subject is the everyday – or his everyday – the poignant and the touching, the messy and the disturbing.

http://www.artbookhouse.com/shunga-aesthetics-of-japanese-erotic-art-by-ukiyo-e-masters.htmlShunga portrays the erotic expression of a couple with pleasures and pains, and the beauty of their body with the finest Japanese woodblock print technique. It is a type of Ukiyo-e, which was especially all the range among people in Edo period (17th-19th century). Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers. This big book of 586 pages features various Shunga works by masters of Ukiyo-e artists such as Hokusai Katsushika, Utamaro Kitagawa, Kuniyoshi Utagawa, Kiyonaga Torii, and Eisen Keisai. The magic by Kazuya Tkaoka, art director for this book and our succesful title Hokusai Manga, is going to make this book one-of-a-kind Shunga collection.

Japanese Erotic Art

春画 SHUNGA, JAPANESE ART of EROTICA

published: 13 May 2017

Shunga*Japanese Erotic Art*Cresent Moon Before Dawn*Lei Qiang

Shunga is a Japanese term for erotic art...This shunga is a type of ukiyo-e, produced in woodblock print format in the 17th century...
The ukiyo-e movement as a whole sought to express an idealization of contemporary urban life and appeal to the new chōnin class... Following the aesthetics of everyday life, Edo period shunga varied widely in its depictions of sexuality...As a subset of ukiyo-e it was enjoyed by all social groups in the Edo period, despite being out of favor with the shogunate...Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers, and it did not detract from their prestige as artists...
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, New YorkChinese Traditional Erhu Music by Lei Qiang

"Loosing her Virginity" Shunga - Japanese erotic art - in English

A picture from erotic book "Iro no hodoyoshi" by Utagawa Kunisada (1786 - 1865).
A young man is holding down a virgin girl on Tatami, and raping her. She can't stand the pain, and cries.
What a pity girl she is!
It must be a humiliating experience for her to loose her virginity while being looked at by others. Don't you think so?
She cries and says,
"You, please do it softly. Really it hurts! Is killing me. Ow! Ow! "
Voice: English
Subtitling: English
Shunga is Japanese erotic art drawn by ukiyo-e artists, mainly produced in Edo era (1603 - 1868).
We hold shunga event in Tokyo every week.
Please come to see us when you're in Tokyo.
Visit our website for more information.
http://x.tsuyagoe.com/

Shunga/Kinbuke - The Thing About...Araki Nobuyoshi

The Thing About...Nobuyoshi ArakiMusic:
“Dark Fog” and “Dub Feral” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution3.0Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
With over 450 publications to his name, Araki’s work is eclectic. So why do we focus on the erotic? Is that a reflection of our own perversions? And perhaps even more importantly, in a society so desensitized by images and expressions of a sexual nature, do we still find these images offensive and controversial today?
While his work is subject to much controversy and many allegations of misogyny and perversion in the West , Japan’s own relationship with erotic imagery is complex.
In theEdo period (spanning from 1603 to 1868), Japanese erotic art, known as Shunga, was at its peak. D...

http://www.artbookhouse.com/shunga-aesthetics-of-japanese-erotic-art-by-ukiyo-e-masters.htmlShunga portrays the erotic expression of a couple with pleasures and pains, and the beauty of their body with the finest Japanese woodblock print technique. It is a type of Ukiyo-e, which was especially all the range among people in Edo period (17th-19th century). Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers. This big book of 586 pages features various Shunga works by masters of Ukiyo-e artists such as Hokusai Katsushika, Utamaro Kitagawa, Kuniyoshi Utagawa, Kiyonaga Torii, and Eisen Keisai. The magic by Kazuya Tkaoka, art director for this book and our succesful title Hokusai Manga, is going to make this book one-of-a-kind Shunga collection.

Shunga*Japanese Erotic Art*Cresent Moon Before Dawn*Lei Qiang

Shunga is a Japanese term for erotic art...This shunga is a type of ukiyo-e, produced in woodblock print format in the 17th century...
The ukiyo-e movement as a...

Shunga is a Japanese term for erotic art...This shunga is a type of ukiyo-e, produced in woodblock print format in the 17th century...
The ukiyo-e movement as a whole sought to express an idealization of contemporary urban life and appeal to the new chōnin class... Following the aesthetics of everyday life, Edo period shunga varied widely in its depictions of sexuality...As a subset of ukiyo-e it was enjoyed by all social groups in the Edo period, despite being out of favor with the shogunate...Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers, and it did not detract from their prestige as artists...
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, New YorkChinese Traditional Erhu Music by Lei Qiang

Shunga is a Japanese term for erotic art...This shunga is a type of ukiyo-e, produced in woodblock print format in the 17th century...
The ukiyo-e movement as a whole sought to express an idealization of contemporary urban life and appeal to the new chōnin class... Following the aesthetics of everyday life, Edo period shunga varied widely in its depictions of sexuality...As a subset of ukiyo-e it was enjoyed by all social groups in the Edo period, despite being out of favor with the shogunate...Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers, and it did not detract from their prestige as artists...
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, New YorkChinese Traditional Erhu Music by Lei Qiang

"Loosing her Virginity" Shunga - Japanese erotic art - in English

A picture from erotic book "Iro no hodoyoshi" by Utagawa Kunisada (1786 - 1865).
A young man is holding down a virgin girl on Tatami, and raping her. She can't...

A picture from erotic book "Iro no hodoyoshi" by Utagawa Kunisada (1786 - 1865).
A young man is holding down a virgin girl on Tatami, and raping her. She can't stand the pain, and cries.
What a pity girl she is!
It must be a humiliating experience for her to loose her virginity while being looked at by others. Don't you think so?
She cries and says,
"You, please do it softly. Really it hurts! Is killing me. Ow! Ow! "
Voice: English
Subtitling: English
Shunga is Japanese erotic art drawn by ukiyo-e artists, mainly produced in Edo era (1603 - 1868).
We hold shunga event in Tokyo every week.
Please come to see us when you're in Tokyo.
Visit our website for more information.
http://x.tsuyagoe.com/

A picture from erotic book "Iro no hodoyoshi" by Utagawa Kunisada (1786 - 1865).
A young man is holding down a virgin girl on Tatami, and raping her. She can't stand the pain, and cries.
What a pity girl she is!
It must be a humiliating experience for her to loose her virginity while being looked at by others. Don't you think so?
She cries and says,
"You, please do it softly. Really it hurts! Is killing me. Ow! Ow! "
Voice: English
Subtitling: English
Shunga is Japanese erotic art drawn by ukiyo-e artists, mainly produced in Edo era (1603 - 1868).
We hold shunga event in Tokyo every week.
Please come to see us when you're in Tokyo.
Visit our website for more information.
http://x.tsuyagoe.com/

The Thing About...Nobuyoshi ArakiMusic:
“Dark Fog” and “Dub Feral” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution3.0Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
With over 450 publications to his name, Araki’s work is eclectic. So why do we focus on the erotic? Is that a reflection of our own perversions? And perhaps even more importantly, in a society so desensitized by images and expressions of a sexual nature, do we still find these images offensive and controversial today?
While his work is subject to much controversy and many allegations of misogyny and perversion in the West , Japan’s own relationship with erotic imagery is complex.
In theEdo period (spanning from 1603 to 1868), Japanese erotic art, known as Shunga, was at its peak. During this time however, there would be multiple attempts at outlawing such artwork, only for it to survive through underground (read: privileged) networks and loose enforcement. But even in modern Japan, now far removed from its Imperial history, such explicit photography is illegal, so Araki has often been in trouble there, as well.
But to Araki, he is committing no crime, moral or legal. By his own admittance, he does indeed love women and sex, but with other titles such as HappyPhotographs (2006) and Faces of Japan (2009-), Araki is simply documenting what is in front of him, such as family portraits and the everyday Japanese, and compiling a sort of visual diary.
There is an age-old debate over whether nudity and eroticism in general are artistic or pornographic, but the question must be asked: in a society so immersed in images of both, does it really matter anymore? Perhaps most unsettling to today’s Western and Japanese viewers alike is not Araki’s imagery, but the unabashed and apathetic way in which he goes about it. Sex is a part of life after all, and to Araki, that’s all that he’s photographing.
“Kinbaku (knots with ropes) are different from bondage. I only tie up a woman's body because I know I cannot tie up her heart. Only her physical parts can be tied up. Tying up a woman becomes an embrace.” – Araki
“Art is all about doing what you shouldn’t.” – Nobuyoshi “Arachy”
“A photograph takes place only at a certain instant. And this instant is unidentifiable. The instant is the eternal and the eternal is the instant. When the camera shutter is released, that's the eternal.
Eternity is achieved by releasing the camera shutter and letting it descend.” – Araki
“In my photographs I often appear in scenes containing bondage or sexual activity. I play the role of a midget in a Shunga painting. A secondary role as a spectator. After all, I prefer photographs to sex. “ – Araki
"I'd like to take photos similar to shunga," he once said, "but I haven't reached that level yet. There is bashfulness in shunga. The genitals are visible, but the rest is hidden by the kimono. In other words, they don't show everything. They are hiding a secret." Araki
Is it art or is it porn? To Araki it makes little difference. In the end, his subject is the everyday – or his everyday – the poignant and the touching, the messy and the disturbing.

The Thing About...Nobuyoshi ArakiMusic:
“Dark Fog” and “Dub Feral” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution3.0Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
With over 450 publications to his name, Araki’s work is eclectic. So why do we focus on the erotic? Is that a reflection of our own perversions? And perhaps even more importantly, in a society so desensitized by images and expressions of a sexual nature, do we still find these images offensive and controversial today?
While his work is subject to much controversy and many allegations of misogyny and perversion in the West , Japan’s own relationship with erotic imagery is complex.
In theEdo period (spanning from 1603 to 1868), Japanese erotic art, known as Shunga, was at its peak. During this time however, there would be multiple attempts at outlawing such artwork, only for it to survive through underground (read: privileged) networks and loose enforcement. But even in modern Japan, now far removed from its Imperial history, such explicit photography is illegal, so Araki has often been in trouble there, as well.
But to Araki, he is committing no crime, moral or legal. By his own admittance, he does indeed love women and sex, but with other titles such as HappyPhotographs (2006) and Faces of Japan (2009-), Araki is simply documenting what is in front of him, such as family portraits and the everyday Japanese, and compiling a sort of visual diary.
There is an age-old debate over whether nudity and eroticism in general are artistic or pornographic, but the question must be asked: in a society so immersed in images of both, does it really matter anymore? Perhaps most unsettling to today’s Western and Japanese viewers alike is not Araki’s imagery, but the unabashed and apathetic way in which he goes about it. Sex is a part of life after all, and to Araki, that’s all that he’s photographing.
“Kinbaku (knots with ropes) are different from bondage. I only tie up a woman's body because I know I cannot tie up her heart. Only her physical parts can be tied up. Tying up a woman becomes an embrace.” – Araki
“Art is all about doing what you shouldn’t.” – Nobuyoshi “Arachy”
“A photograph takes place only at a certain instant. And this instant is unidentifiable. The instant is the eternal and the eternal is the instant. When the camera shutter is released, that's the eternal.
Eternity is achieved by releasing the camera shutter and letting it descend.” – Araki
“In my photographs I often appear in scenes containing bondage or sexual activity. I play the role of a midget in a Shunga painting. A secondary role as a spectator. After all, I prefer photographs to sex. “ – Araki
"I'd like to take photos similar to shunga," he once said, "but I haven't reached that level yet. There is bashfulness in shunga. The genitals are visible, but the rest is hidden by the kimono. In other words, they don't show everything. They are hiding a secret." Araki
Is it art or is it porn? To Araki it makes little difference. In the end, his subject is the everyday – or his everyday – the poignant and the touching, the messy and the disturbing.

http://www.artbookhouse.com/shunga-aesthetics-of-japanese-erotic-art-by-ukiyo-e-masters.htmlShunga portrays the erotic expression of a couple with pleasures ...

http://www.artbookhouse.com/shunga-aesthetics-of-japanese-erotic-art-by-ukiyo-e-masters.htmlShunga portrays the erotic expression of a couple with pleasures and pains, and the beauty of their body with the finest Japanese woodblock print technique. It is a type of Ukiyo-e, which was especially all the range among people in Edo period (17th-19th century). Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers. This big book of 586 pages features various Shunga works by masters of Ukiyo-e artists such as Hokusai Katsushika, Utamaro Kitagawa, Kuniyoshi Utagawa, Kiyonaga Torii, and Eisen Keisai. The magic by Kazuya Tkaoka, art director for this book and our succesful title Hokusai Manga, is going to make this book one-of-a-kind Shunga collection.

http://www.artbookhouse.com/shunga-aesthetics-of-japanese-erotic-art-by-ukiyo-e-masters.htmlShunga portrays the erotic expression of a couple with pleasures and pains, and the beauty of their body with the finest Japanese woodblock print technique. It is a type of Ukiyo-e, which was especially all the range among people in Edo period (17th-19th century). Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers. This big book of 586 pages features various Shunga works by masters of Ukiyo-e artists such as Hokusai Katsushika, Utamaro Kitagawa, Kuniyoshi Utagawa, Kiyonaga Torii, and Eisen Keisai. The magic by Kazuya Tkaoka, art director for this book and our succesful title Hokusai Manga, is going to make this book one-of-a-kind Shunga collection.

Shunga*Japanese Erotic Art*Cresent Moon Before Dawn*Lei Qiang

Shunga is a Japanese term for erotic art...This shunga is a type of ukiyo-e, produced in woodblock print format in the 17th century...
The ukiyo-e movement as a whole sought to express an idealization of contemporary urban life and appeal to the new chōnin class... Following the aesthetics of everyday life, Edo period shunga varied widely in its depictions of sexuality...As a subset of ukiyo-e it was enjoyed by all social groups in the Edo period, despite being out of favor with the shogunate...Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers, and it did not detract from their prestige as artists...
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, New YorkChinese Traditional Erhu Music by Lei Qiang

"Loosing her Virginity" Shunga - Japanese erotic art - in English

A picture from erotic book "Iro no hodoyoshi" by Utagawa Kunisada (1786 - 1865).
A young man is holding down a virgin girl on Tatami, and raping her. She can't stand the pain, and cries.
What a pity girl she is!
It must be a humiliating experience for her to loose her virginity while being looked at by others. Don't you think so?
She cries and says,
"You, please do it softly. Really it hurts! Is killing me. Ow! Ow! "
Voice: English
Subtitling: English
Shunga is Japanese erotic art drawn by ukiyo-e artists, mainly produced in Edo era (1603 - 1868).
We hold shunga event in Tokyo every week.
Please come to see us when you're in Tokyo.
Visit our website for more information.
http://x.tsuyagoe.com/

Shunga/Kinbuke - The Thing About...Araki Nobuyoshi

The Thing About...Nobuyoshi ArakiMusic:
“Dark Fog” and “Dub Feral” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution3.0Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
With over 450 publications to his name, Araki’s work is eclectic. So why do we focus on the erotic? Is that a reflection of our own perversions? And perhaps even more importantly, in a society so desensitized by images and expressions of a sexual nature, do we still find these images offensive and controversial today?
While his work is subject to much controversy and many allegations of misogyny and perversion in the West , Japan’s own relationship with erotic imagery is complex.
In theEdo period (spanning from 1603 to 1868), Japanese erotic art, known as Shunga, was at its peak. During this time however, there would be multiple attempts at outlawing such artwork, only for it to survive through underground (read: privileged) networks and loose enforcement. But even in modern Japan, now far removed from its Imperial history, such explicit photography is illegal, so Araki has often been in trouble there, as well.
But to Araki, he is committing no crime, moral or legal. By his own admittance, he does indeed love women and sex, but with other titles such as HappyPhotographs (2006) and Faces of Japan (2009-), Araki is simply documenting what is in front of him, such as family portraits and the everyday Japanese, and compiling a sort of visual diary.
There is an age-old debate over whether nudity and eroticism in general are artistic or pornographic, but the question must be asked: in a society so immersed in images of both, does it really matter anymore? Perhaps most unsettling to today’s Western and Japanese viewers alike is not Araki’s imagery, but the unabashed and apathetic way in which he goes about it. Sex is a part of life after all, and to Araki, that’s all that he’s photographing.
“Kinbaku (knots with ropes) are different from bondage. I only tie up a woman's body because I know I cannot tie up her heart. Only her physical parts can be tied up. Tying up a woman becomes an embrace.” – Araki
“Art is all about doing what you shouldn’t.” – Nobuyoshi “Arachy”
“A photograph takes place only at a certain instant. And this instant is unidentifiable. The instant is the eternal and the eternal is the instant. When the camera shutter is released, that's the eternal.
Eternity is achieved by releasing the camera shutter and letting it descend.” – Araki
“In my photographs I often appear in scenes containing bondage or sexual activity. I play the role of a midget in a Shunga painting. A secondary role as a spectator. After all, I prefer photographs to sex. “ – Araki
"I'd like to take photos similar to shunga," he once said, "but I haven't reached that level yet. There is bashfulness in shunga. The genitals are visible, but the rest is hidden by the kimono. In other words, they don't show everything. They are hiding a secret." Araki
Is it art or is it porn? To Araki it makes little difference. In the end, his subject is the everyday – or his everyday – the poignant and the touching, the messy and the disturbing.

Definition

Defining erotic art is difficult since perceptions of both what is erotic and what is art fluctuate. A sculpture of a phallus in some African cultures may be considered a traditional symbol of potency though not overtly erotic.

In addition, a distinction is often made between erotic art and pornography (which also depicts scenes of love-making and is intended to evoke erotic arousal, but is not usually considered art). The distinction may lie in intent and message; erotic art would be items intended as pieces of art, encapturing formal elements of art, and drawing on other historical artworks. Pornography may also use these tools, but is primarily intended to arouse one sexually. Nevertheless, these elements of distinction are highly subjective.

For instance, Justice Potter Stewart of the Supreme Court of the United States, in attempting to explain "hard-core" pornography, or what is obscene, famously wrote, "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced ... [b]ut I know it when I see it ..."